"Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle - Reflex" - читать интересную книгу автора (Niven Larry)

constructing planetary defenses when we lifted out.тАЭ
тАЬThey may need them. Excuse me. - .тАЬ Colvin cut the circuit and concentrated on
his battle screens.
The master computer flashed a -series of maneuver strategies, each with the odds
for success if adopted. The probabilities were only a computerтАЩs judgment,
 ---however. Over there in the Imperial ship was an experienced human captain
whoтАЩd do his best to thwart those odds while Colvin did the same. Game theory and
computers rarely consider all the possibilities a human brain can conceive.
The cqrr~puter recommended full retreat and sacrifice of the observation boatsтАФ
and at that gave only an even chance for Defiant. Colvin studied the board.
тАЬENGAGE CLOSELY,тАЭ he said.
The computer wiped the other alternatives and flashed a series of new choices.
Colvin chose. Again and again this happened until the shipтАЩs brain knew exactly what
her human master wanted, but long before the dialogue was completed the ship -
accelerated to action, spewing torpedoes from her ports to send H-bombs on random
evasion courses toward the enemy. Tiny lasers reached out toward enemy torpedoes,
filling space with softly glowing threads of bright color.
Defiant leaped toward her enemy, her photon cannons pouring out energy to
wash over the Imperial ship. тАЬKeep it up, keep it up,тАЭ Colvin chanted to himself. If
the enemy could be blinded, her antennas destroyed so that her crew couldnтАЩt see out
through her Langston Field to locate Defiant, the battle would be Over.
- HalleckтАЩs outback twang came through the earphones. тАЬLooking good, boss.тАЭ
тАЬYeah.тАЭ The very savagery of unexpected attack by a smaller vessel had taken
the enemy by surprise. Just maybeтАФ A blaze of white struck Defiant to send her
screens up into the orange, tottering towards yellow for an instant. In that second
Defiant was as blind as the enemy, every sensor outside the Field vaporized. Her
boats were still there, though, still sending data on the enemyтАЩs position,
still guiding torpedoes. - -
тАЬBridge, this is damage control.тАЭ -
тАЬYeah, Greg.тАЭ
тАЬHulled in main memory bank area. IтАЩm getting replacement elements in, but you
better go to secondary
computer for a while.тАЭ - -
тАЬAlready done.тАЭ
тАЬGood. Got a couple other problems, but I can handle them.тАЭ
тАЬHave at it.тАЭ Screens were coming back on line. More sensor clusters were being
poked through the Langston Field on~stalks. Colvin touched buttons in his chair arm.
тАЬCommunications. Get number three boat in closer.тАЭ
тАЬAckrfowledged.тАЭ
The Imperial ship took evasive action. She would cut acceleration for a moment,
turn slightly, then accelerate again, with constantly changing drive power. Colvin
shook his head. тАЬHeтАЩs got an iron crew,тАЭ he muttered to Halleck. тАЬThey must be
getting the guts shook out- of them.тАЭ
Another blast rocked Defiant. A torpedo had penetrated her defensive fire to
explode somewhere near the hull. The Langston Field, opaque to radiant energy, was
able to absorb and redistribute the energy evenly throughout the Field; but at cost.
There had been an overload at the place nearest the bomb: energy flaring inward. The
Langston Field was a spaceshipтАЩs true hull. Its skin was only metal, designed only to
hold pressure. Breech it andтАФ -
тАЬHulled again aft of number two torpedo room,тАЭ Halleck reported. тАЬSpare parts,